Shure SM7B Vocal Microphone Review:
A Top Microphone for Podcasts, YouTube, and Singing
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The legendary Shure SM7B is the most widely used microphone by podcasters and YouTubers. Anyone who has watched YouTube videos has seen it, many times. It is equally well regarded as a vocal microphone for singing, and it does great recording instruments too.
A Brief History of the Shure SM7B
The history of the Shure SM7B starts similarly to the histories of the Shure SM57 and Shure SM58. Like those iconic mics, the Shure SM7B traces its lineage to the Unidyne III capsule developed by Shure in the late 1950s.
This capsule was included in the Shure SM5, the original mic in the series that is now the SM7B. The Shure SM5 sounded great, but the problem was that it was too large and heavy. This prevented it from ever becoming widely used.
So Shure went back to the drawing board and set to work on improving the mic. The result was the Shure SM7, which was the microphone which Michael Jackson used to record his Thriller album. The SM7 was a popular choice in recording studios for decades. Visually, the SM7 looked almost exactly the same as the SM7B.
By the way, for anyone who doesn’t know, the SM stands for studio microphone.
Shure next made a few small changes to improve performance, and that version was called the Shure SM7A. Then, in 2001, they created a new model with a bigger windscreen than the SM7 had. This was the Shure SM7B that we know today. After YouTube became popular, the SM7B eventually became the most used podcasting and YouTube microphone in the world, all while still being a top studio microphone.
Notable Features of the Shure SM7B
The Shure SM7B is a dynamic microphone with a cardioid polar pattern. It has a frequency response of 50 to 20,000Hz.
The Shure SM7B is another very rugged, sturdy, solid, and well-constructed microphone by Shure. It has a very well-made feel to it.
It comes with a detachable foam windscreen that is also part of its iconic, well-recognized look. The foam windscreen works similarly to a pop filter and helps reduce plosives (noticeable p sounds).
It includes bass roll-off and presence boost switches. The bass roll-off and presence boost switches are located on the rear of the microphone. They are not the easiest controls to use, requiring the use of an external tool such as a flathead screwdriver to change the settings.
The standard Shure SM7B does not come with the commonly seen boom arm. However, Shure does sell a version that packages the boom arm with the microphone.
The Shure SM7B is an Excellent Microphone for Recording Vocals
If you look around at best microphones lists for recording vocals, you will find that the Shure SM7B is included on most of them, and it earned a spot on our list as well. Simply put, it is a great vocal microphone, especially for rock vocals or other louder singing.
We tested many vocal microphones to see how they performed when recording singing. We found that the Shure SM7B consistently delivered very smooth and natural sounding vocals, that were pleasant to the ear. It offers some level of detail, though not as much as you would get with a condenser microphone.
Its sound tends to be a little more neutral to darker sounding, so if you are looking for a brighter microphone sound, this may not be the one. But in general, certain microphones will suit certain singers and voices, while other microphones will not. The important thing is to find a microphone that will best suit YOUR voice.
To increase the warmth of this mic while you are singing, you can get right up close to the microphone. This will take advantage of what is called the proximity effect.
You can also engage the SM7B’s presence boost setting to make the microphone sound brighter and allow your vocals to cut through the mix more.
For all vocal uses, the SM7B really almost requires the use of a mic activator such as the Cloudlifter-CL or the Fathead. It is something of a quiet mic and it needs the significant amounts of clean gain that these mic activators provide.
As a dynamic microphone, it is not as sensitive and will pick up less background noise while you are trying to record. This can definitely be a benefit depending on your home studio environment. If you are working in an untreated room, it is very forgiving. It will also pick up less incidental noise in your performance like breaths or even headphone bleed than a condenser microphone would.
Recording Instruments with the Shure SM7B
What is less widely known is that the Shure SM7B is also a great microphone for recording many instruments.
It does very well on recording electric guitar, where it actually made our Best Microphones for Recording Electric Guitar list. In fact, we even had it ranked ahead of its cousin, the Shure SM57. It sounded a little smoother and less bright than the SM57.
For electric guitar overall, it shined the most on distorted guitar sounds. Here it captured a full, somewhat husky and muscular electric guitar sound that sounded good on chords, muting, and lead guitar. It did not do quite as well on clean electric guitar sounds, but still performed solidly.
The Shure SM7B also does well recording snare drums, kick drums, and even bass guitar.
You would probably not buy the mic specifically for recording electric guitar, bass guitar, snare drum, or kick drum. However, if you do have one already for singing or for spoken word, definitely consider taking advantage of its versatility to record these instruments. It is a great added benefit that comes along with the SM7B.
The Shure SM7B for Podcasting and YouTube
As mentioned, the Shure SM7B is the most microphone most commonly used in YouTube videos and podcasts. For this reason, it is probably also the microphone that everyone thinks they need to get and hopes they one day get for YouTube and podcasting uses. But does it live up to its reputation? Is it really as good as it appears to be for YouTube and podcasting?
The answer is yes! In this case, the collective knowledge of all the people using it on YouTube has definitely gotten things right.
Because it is a little bit of a darker sounding microphone (vs. a bright sounding microphone), it works well on a wide variety of voices. It doesn’t run into the problem which can affect bright sounding microphones where a particular voice sounds very harsh and sibilant.
This means that for people who are buying a microphone without trying the microphone out first, that the Shure SM7B is probably going to be a mic that will sound at least pretty good with your voice. You are taking some of the risk off the table that you might buy a microphone that sounds harsh and not so good on your voice.
It also means, that if you are hosting a podcast or doing interviews on YouTube, that you will not have to worry as much about whether your guests’ voices sound good on the microphone.
Because the Shure SM7B is a smooth, natural sounding microphone, it will also help your audience and viewers have a pleasant listening experience. It is, overall, a safe choice when considering what mic to buy for YouTube or podcasting.
For those who do want or need the microphone to sound a bit brighter than it naturally does, keep in mind that you can always engage the presence boost switch on the mic.
You can also change the sound by talking really close to the microphone, utilizing the proximity effect. With this mic, this creates a warmer sound.
For YouTube and podcasting, reminder that the Shure SM7B does almost require that you use it in conjunction with a mic activator such as the Cloudlifter-CL or the Fethead to provide it with clean gain. Otherwise, you will struggle to get your audio at a suitable level.
Lastly, as a bonus benefit, let’s face it, the Shure SM7B is a great looking microphone that will look good in your videos!
Conclusion: The Shure SM7B Lives Up to Its Reputation as a Top Microphone
The Shure SM7B dynamic cardioid microphone lives up to its reputation as a top vocal microphone, both for recording singing and for spoken word uses for podcasting / YouTube.
It consistently delivers a smooth, natural sound for both singers and speakers that is a bit darker / less bright that makes it suitable and pleasant sounding for a wide variety of voices. For this reason, it is a fairly safe choice for those who are buying a microphone without getting to try it out first.
Additionally, the Shure SM7B has the versatility to do an excellent job recording many instruments such as electric guitar, bass guitar, snare drums, and kick drums. This is an added bonus for this great vocal mic.
There is wisdom in the many singers, podcasters, YouTubers, and musicians who are using the excellent and iconic Shure SM7B microphone!
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